Much less players?

Dexter411

I recently picked up Eso and made a new character. While leveling up I noticed there are really few people around. Am I right or there are only less players in starting areas?
PC/EU

P.S. There was not even a good old "How can I ride a horse" type of questions in chat.

Deceptive_Yoshi

What zone are you in? Don't know about EU but for me it's the 3rd zone onward that dies down but orsinium and the main faction city are usually lively.

FerrumnCutem

Almost everyone is in the mayor cities in the second province (Mournhold, Wayrest and the big tree one). I also play on Pc EU, and I feel like im seeing loads more new people popping up. Might be different per alliance, but EP is real bussy.

FriedEggSandwich

Dexter411 wrote: »

I recently picked up Eso and made a new character. While leveling up I noticed there are really few people around. Am I right or there are only less players in starting areas?
PC/EU

P.S. There was not even a good old "How can I ride a horse" type of questions in chat.

I'm also pc eu. There are people around, maybe not so much in the starting zones, the game is 2 years old after all. Last time I was in vulkhel guard it was busy, but that was cake week. Rawl'kha always looks busy on ad. Some people are on pts and others are in dlc zones. Newbs can go to dlc zones and be battle-leveled so maybe that takes some out of the starting zones. When vet ranks are removed it might bring people back to low level zones.

Lysette

PC EU - Glenumbra is crowded, I could not say, that there are too less people.

Dexter411

In first DC areas(prophet location and first small island, forgot names) I saw like 10 people,.Maybe in Stormhaven there will be more people running around.

Lysette

Dexter411 wrote: »

In first DC areas(prophet location and first small island, forgot names) I saw like 10 people,.Maybe in Stormhaven there will be more people running around.

Depends as well when you are there and in which phase you end up. If I find, that the phase I am in is too crowded, I relog, which often brings me into a less crowed phase. Maybe if you see too less people for your taste, relog - maybe you will end up in a more crowded phase - but don't expect it to be crowded after midnight CET - people have jobs and need their sleep.

Tandor

Some may be on the PTS. The live population always takes a hit when a new DLC is on the PTS.

Lysette

Daggerfall was crowded at prime time - nearly too much for my personal taste.

Nestor

A lot of people play on the PTS when new content is on hand to test (OK, some of them are just playing, but as long as they give bug feedback, it's OK).

This weekend, I noticed a healthy amount of players out and about in the zones I would expect to see them in.

wayfarerx

I was in silver AD over the weekend, which usually doesn't get much traffic, and I think I only found one delve where I was the only player in there. So it seems pretty hopping to me, on PC/NA at least.

Lysette

A good test is to simply do a harvest run, if you know where those nodes are - then you can see, how many are still available. Especially on Stros M'Kai - DC newbie island - this is a good method, because people are normally all over the place doing quests and harvest.

Epona222

Dexter411 wrote: »

In first DC areas(prophet location and first small island, forgot names) I saw like 10 people,.Maybe in Stormhaven there will be more people running around.

People only go to the Harborage (where the prophet is) when they need to pick up or hand in a quest, so it's not as if it's that busy most of the time. And a lot of people skip the starter islands, so they have lower population than the towns in the first zone. I usually find it quite busy on the EU server in certain zones.

reguvin

They Need to Release BIGGER DLC's, like in other MMO's

Lysette

Well, it would be nice if people would really skip Stros M'Kai, then I would have more to harvest and could empty thief troves en masse - but this is just not the case, people are doing the quests on this island and harvest there. To get to a thief trove in Stros M'Kai at prime time is really a matter of luck. I have more success in EP on Bleakrock island with those thief troves.

SirAndy

Dunno, Auridon was packed last night (PC/NA) ...

Tandor

reguvin wrote: »

They Need to Release BIGGER DLC's, like in other MMO's

And only release them every couple of years, like in other MMOs?

vyndral13preub18_ESO

Im sure a lot of vet players who use to funnel through the lower levels areas when starting a new toon just jump to the new dlc areas for something different.

Atleast i do.

Elvent

I thought only vet ranks experienced this because I see lots of people and chat spammed when on my lowbies, I see one or two people while out in vet zones.

I'm vet rank 6 on one of my alts and leveling in Alik'r Desert doing the quests and trying to finish the bosses and Dolmen's out there and I ask once every 20 minutes or so while I'm out questing and there's never any response though there was one person that came and showed up for one of the world bosses.

I did solo one of the Dolmen's out there, I think it took me about 15-20 minutes from all the kiting I had to do because I'm so squishy and I guess my dps isn't great but it was a pain in the butt and would rather have a hand to do them because it took me forever and kept coming close to dying so many times and I finally died from the last boss but killed him the second time. I keep hoping to make a friend I could do these things with but no luck so far.

But then again I'm a squishy full cloth armor templar with a mixture of dps/heal spells so maybe I'm doing it wrong...but I came this far so wanted to keep going but I'm starting to give up and will probably just level another alt. I really love the leveling until vet ranks.

I quit for a year and recently came back, I remember how populated vet zones were and it makes me regret quitting then and wished I would have stayed and finished the vet grind while everybody was here.

Curtdogg47

For me I noticed in Cadwell's silver the numbers dropped and continued to do so from there on in the Veteran zones.

reguvin

Tandor wrote: »

reguvin wrote: »

They Need to Release BIGGER DLC's, like in other MMO's

And only release them every couple of years, like in other MMOs?

Players don't like if it's too Easy and not Challenging, and they need a Motivation to continue Playing the Game.

Artjuh90

this is the thing i dont get with the community.
crying about the "casuals" and the noobs are there at one end and complain there are not enough new players.
you can't have both you know

greylox

Goes in waves, seems healthy to me

Omg_Pwned

PS4 EU DC getting more and more, everyday when I go to pickup my undaunted quests I have the feeling there are 10 more players around.

RDMyers65b14_ESO

Nestor wrote: »

A lot of people play on the PTS when new content is on hand to test (OK, some of them are just playing, but as long as they give bug feedback, it's OK).

This weekend, I noticed a healthy amount of players out and about in the zones I would expect to see them in.

I resemble that remark. I am having more fun on the PTS than I am on Live due to the vet rank removal. Mind you, it feels like battle spirit is double dipping in Cyrodil as some abilities are hitting for less than a fourth of the tool tip, but some are doing OK. Just gotta find a viable build or five.

Ch4mpTW

Hm... I have to admit that through the months/years, I have indeed noticed a decline in the overall player count. I could be wrong, but this just from what I've noticed. Although, as someone previously mentioned, I have noticed that there are influxes and fluctuations in the player count. When new DLC is released, there seems to be a wave in players playing this game. And after a few weeks, the player count decreases again. How healthy this is however, I have no idea.

Lysette

Ch4mpTW wrote: »

Hm... I have to admit that through the months/years, I have indeed noticed a decline in the overall player count. I could be wrong, but this just from what I've noticed. Although, as someone previously mentioned, I have noticed that there are influxes and fluctuations in the player count. When new DLC is released, there seems to be a wave in players playing this game. And after a few weeks, the player count decreases again. How healthy this is however, I have no idea.

That is in principle a locust swarm behavior - if there is something new to harvest, they invade, consume the content within a week or 2, and then the locusts leave again.

lardvader

I find starter and veteran zones deserted on regular basis except weekends maybe. The faction capital and Wrothgar is booming with people all the time though.

Right now I guess a lot of people are playing on the PTS as well.

Lysette

lardvader wrote: »

I find starter and veteran zones deserted on regular basis except weekends maybe. The faction capital and Wrothgar is booming with people all the time though.

Right now I guess a lot of people are playing on the PTS as well.

The more casuals there are, the more peak times are shifted towards the weekends, that is normal - people have a career and a family to care for during the week. And their few hours to play per week will most likely be concentrated on the weekend. At prime time (overall on all servers that should be 9-11pm UTC) starter zones are crowded.

Edit: and another thought with it, casuals with a family are most likely subscribers - my reasoning for that is, they have to get this confirmed by their spouses - and it is easier to get it passed once, and it is then automatically reoccurring, than to have this debate about spending money on a game with every DLC again.

Volkodav

Depends on the time you are playing.
I see lots of players in several zones whenever I play except after 2 am my time on the NA server.

Tandor

Curtdogg47 wrote: »

For me I noticed in Cadwell's silver the numbers dropped and continued to do so from there on in the Veteran zones.

Those are classic examples of areas where players are now doing DLC and PTS content instead. I'd be surprised if very many players even bother with Cadwells from now on as they're now able to do alternative high level content elsewhere and with the the veteran ranks being removed anyway, leaving the other alliance content for their alts.